Play And Forget
One of my favorite home-spun maxims comes from the nine year-old son of a good friend. He was telling us about his day at summer camp. As the kids changed into their swimsuits, a heavyset man was also changing in the same locker room. Whatever my friend’s sweet son witnessed that fine summer day was clearly unnerving. His mom asked him if he wanted to talk about it. “No, Mom,” he said. “Sometimes you just have to play and forget.” Play and forget. That’s reality camp for many of us. My personal childhood memories of a summer aerospace camp include having a ham sandwich vomited on me inside a cramped single-engine Cessna.

Just Play. Or Not.
Los Angeles Music Academy and Drum Channel promise to enhance reality with the premier Drummer’s Reality Camp June 28th through July 2nd. In place of locker room trauma and graphic nausea, this camp will offer close-quarters study with artists-in-residence Terry Bozzio, Efrain Toro, Ralph Humphrey, and Joe Porcaro; and guest artists including JR Robinson, Peter Erskine, Alex Acuña, Teddy Campbell, and Nissan Stewart . The five-day intensive will consist of class study, workshops, ensembles, private lessons, and evening performances; plus, a field trip to tour Drum Workshop and the Drum Channel studios.

Drummers from across the globe, of all skill levels, ages 14 and up are welcomed to participate. The first 100 enrollees will be accepted and class sizes will max out at 25. Campers will be placed into style-specific ensembles comprised of current LAMA students, and according to drum department chair Ralph Humphrey, will not be separated by skill level allowing less advanced students to learn from the more experienced. Mike Packer, LAMA VP and drum department instructor adds that not everyone may feel comfortable playing and that’s OK. Sounds like the week could range from low-pressure and entertaining for some, to highly intense and challenging for others depending on individual intent and desire.

Keeping It Real
Tuition has recently been reduced from $1,495 to $995, and students are eligible for a discount rate of $495. The deadline for registration is June 14th.

In addition to my tentative flight camp experience, I also attended week-long jazz camps over a couple high school summers. I know first hand the impact and inspiration such a concentrated musical environment can offer. HollywoodDrum.com is happy to support and help promote the Drummer’s Reality Camp. Stay tuned for our full coverage.

For now, we offer you a preview in our Q&A with the three principals of the event: Humphrey; Packer; and DW president, Don Lombardi. Happy camping.

Visit LAMA’s Drummer’s Reality Camp page for more information.